Adams talks to de Tocqueville

April 30, 1982

The following 'conversation' has been constructed from the writings of John Quincy Adams and Alexis de Tocqueville.m The place: Boston. The time: 1831-1835

John Quincy Adams: ''There are two facts which have a great influence on our character: in the North, the religious and political doctrines of the first founders of New England; in the South, slavery.''

Adams: ''Yes, unquestionably it's in slavery that are to be found almost all the embarrassments of the present and the fears of the future.''

De Tocqueville: ''The most formidable evil threatening the future of the United States is the presence of blacks on their soil. From whatever angle one sets out to inquire into the present embarrassment or future dangers facing the United States, one is almost always brought up against this basic fact.''